SC man stopped for coffee and left store a millionaire after hitting lottery jackpot
Stopping for a cup of coffee in Lexington County turned into a “life-changing” decision for a Midlands man who won a $2 million jackpot, South Carolina Education Lottery officials said.
The seven-figure scratch-off game was sold at the Stop N Go at 704 Old Barnwell Road, lottery officials said in a news release. The convenience store is in West Columbia, not far from the intersection of Emanuel Church Road and Platt Springs Road.
The winner said he scratched the Millionaire’s Club ticket he bought for $20 while sitting in his car in the convenience store’s parking lot, according to the release.
He told lottery officials that he couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the “12” on the ticket matched for a prize that made him a millionaire.
The winner will be allowed to retain some privacy, as South Carolina is one of 11 states — along with Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Texas and Virginia — that allow lottery winners to remain anonymous.
The Midlands man told lottery officials that he isn’t spending the windfall anytime soon, saying “I’m saving it for retirement.”
The odds of winning the top prize in the Millionaire’s Club game were one-in-1,260,000, according to the release. Seven of the game’s eight top prize-winning tickets remain unclaimed, according to the lottery website.
Stop N Go received a commission of $20,000 for selling the claimed winning ticket, according to the release.
